Refrigerator



Jam 12 1926.

1,569,179 G. J. GRUENDLER REFRIGERATOR Filed August 14, 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 [N VENTOR Gusfav J uenokr .5 Y

ATTORNEY Filed August 14, 1922 v Gusfav J G uen /er' 7 K BY Patented Jan. 12, 1926.

UNITED STATES 1,569,179 PATENT OFFICE.

GUSTAV J. GRUENDLER, OF CLAYTON, MISSOURI.

exact specification, reference being had to part thereof.

My invention relates to refrigerators and more particularly to refrigerators having an ice container arranged. to be removed or the accompanying drawings, which form a partially removed from the ice chamber therein when it is to be charged with ice.

It is a practice to have the ice container of a refrigerator arranged so that the con tainer may be partially removed from the ice chamber when it is to be charged with ice, and, when the container is removed from the ice chamber, as will be hereinafter'described, the warm outside air is admitted to the ice chamber of the refrigerator thereby causing the temperature therein to be raised with a resultant waste of ice to bring the air of the refrigerator back to its initial coldness. If a shield were mounted on the container and arranged to engage the marginal edges of the opening through which the ice container is partially removed to be charged withice, and it should be desired to completely remove the ice container from the refrigerator for the purpose of repairing or cleansing, a great amount of work would be necessary to detach the shield from the ice container or to bring the shield into a position to be passed through the opening in the wall of the ice chamber. j V

The objects of my invention are to provide in a refrigerator having an ice container arranged to be. partially removed therefrom when it is to be charged, a shield which will effectually prevent the inflow of warm air or the outflow of cool air into or out of the refrigerator; to provide in a re frigerator a shield arranged to automatically close the opening through which the ice container is removed or partially removed; and to provide a shield controlled by the movement of, but not attached to or mounted on, the ice container of a refrigerator so that said container may be easily and quickly removed from said refrigerator for the purpose of repairing or cleans- 111g.

with ice, the door D REFRIGERATOR.

Application filed August 14, 1922. Serial No. 581,771.

My invention is fully shown in the accompanying drawings wherein similar letters are used to designate similar parts.

Fig. l is a sectional view of a refrigerator embodying my invention, showing the ice container partially removed therefrom to. be charged with ice; Fig, 2 is a sectional view showing the ice container in place in the ice chamber in the refrigeratorgand Fig. 3 is a sectional view along the line 38 in Fig. 1.

Referring to the figures, the refrigerator A. has the ice chamber 13 therein. Theice container G is arranged to be moved into and out of the ice chamber B through the opening D, preferably, in the front wall,

thereof. A door D, partially shown in Fig. 3, ordinarily closes the opening I) when the ice container is in the ice chamber B. The ice container C has on the lower portion of its sides the wheels E mounted on the axles F and aranged to roll on the tracks G which, as will be hereinafter described, are normally in place inside the ice chamber B, as shown in Fig. 2, but which may be partially extended therefrom, as. shown in Fig. 1. The shield J, preferably made of metal but which may be made of any rigid material, is swingably mounted on the marginal portion of the frontwall of the ice chamber B above the opening therein by means of the rod K, one end 'of which is carried in a socket in the end wall of the ice chamber B above the opening 1) and the other end of which is carried by a boss on the opposite side of the opening, as shown in Fig. 3. The side wallof the ice chamber B adjacent to the opening Dis provided with the vertical flanges L, ar-

ranged one on each side 'of the opening, which slant slightly inwardlyfrom top to bottom, as shown in Fig. 2. The ice container G is provided at its top with the lugs M. The tracks Gr may be provided with the connecting links H so that, when the ice container is partially removed from the ice chamber, the portions of the tracks G which are adapted to extend beyond the opening D may be positioned inside the opening as shown in Fig. 2.

When the ice container is to be charged is opened and the outer ends of the tracks G are swung downwardly to extend fromthe refrigerator so that they will be in alignment with those parts of the tracks which are fixed in the against the vertical flanges L, as shown in "FlgS. 1 and 3, and thus automatically closes the-opening D. -Since the-flanges L slant minwardly from the top of the opening D,

as -hereinbefore described, the center of gravity of'the shield will lie a suflicient distance outside of the plane of the contacting edges of the flanges L so that the weight of the shield will firmly hold it against the :fianges.

VVhen' the ice container has been I charged-it is pushed into the. ice chamber B alongthe track G. a The lugs M engage the shield J and force it upwardly as shown in "Fig. 2. The extended portion of'the track G is-swung upwardly inside the opening D,

was described, and the door D is closed.

If the ice container is to be cleaned or re paired, it may be quickly and easily removed "from the refrigerator by rolling it outwardly .along'the tracks G and then'lifting it off-said tracks, since it is not attached to any part of the refrigerator A.

' it may be readily seen that many of the It is obviouslynot my intention-to limit. -my invention to the specific details of the construction shown in the drawings, since details of construction, such as the form of the ice container, tracks, or the material of the shield J, may be varied without deviating from the spirit of my invention.

"\Vhat I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

. 1. In a refrigeratorhaving an ice chamber therein with an openingin the wall thereof, an ice container adapted to be moved into and out of said chamber through said opening,i fianges disposed adjacent the'vertical sides-of said opening and projecting 'in- =wardly from thewall of .said chamber and having their inner edges inclined inwardly "from top'to'bottom, and a shield sw-ingably mounted insaid chamber above saidigopening and adapted to-swlngdown i-ntoen-gagement with said inclined edges of sald flanges when .said container is. moved out of said chamber.

2. In a refrigerator having an ice chamber therein with an opening in a vertical.

wall thereof, an ice container adapted to be .moved into and out of said chamber through said opening, a shield swingably mounted above said opening and adaptedto swing downwardly to close said opening and engage the sides thereof when said container is moved laterally out of said chamber, said shield .andsaid sides of said opening being formed and arranged-so that the center of gravity of said shield lies at a suflicient distance outside-of the plane of "the sides of said openingwhich are adapted to engage said shield whereby said shield will be automatically'maintained in engagement with said sides when-said container is out of said chamber.

3. In a refrigerator having an ice cham- -ber-therem with anropen-ingun the'wall thereof, an ice container adapted to be moved into and out of said 'ohamber through said -.opening, a shield swingablyimounted above .said openingand adapted to automatically swing downwardly: to close said opening when said container- :is moved out of said chamber andsmeans carried by sa1dcon- .tainer whereby said shield isflsiipported above :and out :of en-ga-gement with the top of said container: when said 'COHtHJ-DBI 1s in .position in said-chamber.

4. In a refrigerator having an-icc cham- 'ber therein withnan-gopenmg 1n the wall thereof, :an ice -container adapted to be moved intoand. out of'said chamber through said opening, a shield swingably mounted .on-said wall above said opening and adapted to close sa d opening when saidice con-tamer is moved out of said chamber, and ln-gs projecting "from the top of said container :adapted to- "engage said shield when said container isnioved into said chamber and adapted to hold isa'id. shield-away from the top of said container when it is -insaid chamber.

In witness whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

GUSTAV J GRU'ENDIJER. 

